The Courage to Embrace Her
by Thorn In Your Side
Summary: LeeSaku. Sasuke lies on the threshold of death, and team seven is already mourning. Sakura is the only one who cries alone. But when he wakes up, he wants to say something...to Lee?


The Courage to Embrace Her

**The Courage to Embrace Her **

**Lee/Sakura. Sasuke lies on death's threshold, and while team seven mourns, no one is there to comfort his cherry blossom. But Sasuke wakes up…and has something to say…to Lee! **

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

It was breaking his heart. She was breaking his heart.

"Sasuke-kun…Sasuke-kun!"

No. _**He**_ was breaking his heart.

Sakura bowed her head over the pale, comatose boy, sobbing. The gorgeous stream of sunshine beaming through the window, the countless bouquets of beautiful flowers…they did nothing to mask the dreadful atmosphere in the room.

Naruto slumped against the far wall, knees drawn to his chest, hands knotted in his hay colored hair, his eyes shocked and unseeing. Sai crouched next to him, trying to coax him into eating something.

Kakashi-sensei was slouched against the opposite wall, his hand covering his good eye, Yamato-sensei laying a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, murmuring inaudible words to the Copy-Nin.

No one was consoling her. His green eyed goddess wept crystalline tears that shattered into glassy diamonds on the Uchiha's stomach.

Team Seven was mourning for their long lost teammate, who was about to slip through their fingers forever. It was such a private moment even Gai hadn't dropped by yet. They were too polite and grief-stricken to say it, or even think it, but Lee had no business there.

Except…_**no one was consoling her**_. No one was trying to get her to eat, no one was laying a hand on her shoulder, no one was taking her into a safe embrace and telling her it would be alright.

Do it.

No…

Do it!

Nooooo…

DO IT.

He took a few steps towards her. Then a few more steps. He was by her side now…he was next to her, his hand reaching out to her, but something stopped him.

Sasuke.

Sasuke had opened his eyes. Sasuke was looking at him, with a weak but growing light in those obsidian eyes she loved so much.

Lee snatched his hand back.

"Sakura-san, Sasuke-kun has awoken," he managed, and fled. She started, not having realized he was in the room, let alone next to her, but he fled. As Naruto lunged forth, as Kakashi swooned with relief, he fled.

Running, running, running…every step he took screamed at him, coward! Coward! Coward!

Running…straight into Neji.

"Lee? What the…what's wrong? You're shaking!"

Neji grabbed his shoulders and forced him to sit down on a nearby bench. Hah…of course. When in distress, his legs always led him to his team.

"Lee!" Gai yelled dramatically, "My epitome of youthfulness, my divine lotus student…what has happened to you!?"

"Gai-sensei, shut up," Tenten said curtly. She brought out a soft cloth of cotton and began to dab away the mixture of sweat and tears on his face.

"Sasuke-kun has awaken," he gasped out, "Gai-sensei, you should…"

But the jounin had already disappeared, with a wild yell of "My eternal rival, I come with my congratulations!"

Tenten continued to dab, and Neji put an arm around his shoulder, awkwardly. Lee shrugged it off.

"What happened?" the white eyed Hyuuga genius asked.

The taijustu master gave a half-hearted shrug.

"It was Sakura, wasn't it?" Tenten said knowingly.

They were his best friends…but what could he tell them? This was just another failure. They would pick up the pieces, but he would always fall apart again, sooner or later.

He jumped up, startling Tenten into falling backwards, and gave them a brilliant smile and a good guy pose. "I'm fine, teammates!" he assured them, and jumped away. They watched him go, pain in their eyes and hearts for their teammate.

From tree top to tree top he jumped, away, away, just away…he finally settled himself on a roof and watched the sun until it sunk too low.

A hand on his shoulder… "Waugh!" he yelped, whirling around, but all he could see were big purple-orange splotches. "Aha! A foe who has blinded me! Dirty knave, I shall defeat you nonetheless with my youthful vigor!"

Sai blinked. "Lee-san?"

"Oh, its you Sai-kun. What is it?"

"Sasuke-kun wishes to see you now."

Lee's heart sunk like a stone. "Now?"

"Now."  
"Hebah! A student of Gai-sensei must show no fear!" he yelled, and shot off towards the hospital. Sai shook his head and followed.

Emotions like Lee-san's were something he would never comprehend, no matter how much he read.

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"Get out."

"No!"

"Dobe, get out now! I'm fine, I won't run away!"  
"I don't trust you! After all the hell you put us through, you're out of your mind if you think I'll let you out of my sight for a second, teme! Dattebayo!"

Lee watched quietly as blue eyes battled black ones.

Sasuke growled. "Dobe, if you don't get out right now, I'll starve myself!"  
"I'll force feed you!"

"What! Why you little…KAKASHI-SENSEI! GET THIS BLOND BAKA OUT OF MY ROOM!" he bellowed.

The jounin burst in. "Naruto! Quick! Sai's over in the words with a broken leg! You have to bring him back!"

Naruto's eyes grew round. "What! Oh no! Don't worry sensei, I'll bring him back! Dattebayo!" He ran out of the room at top speed.

Lee's mouth fell open.

"Well that should keep him busy for a few hours," Kakashi said cheerfully, "Give me a yell if you need anything Sasuke, I'll be around."

"You can't get much stupider than that usura-tonkachi," Sasuke grinned, "Bless his idiot heart."

He turned back to lee, who was studying him with serious eyes.

"Do you still love her?" Sasuke asked.

"What?"

"Sakura," Sasuke said impatiently, "Do you still like her?"

Lee looked down at his feet. "It doesn't matter. You two…"

"I don't love her and she doesn't love me, so yes, it _**does **_matter."

Lee looked up, shocked. "But she was crying over you!"

"As a teammate. All of them were crying inside or out. She loves me in a different way now. I can see it in her eyes—she used to look at me like she wanted to jump my bones…but now she looks at me in the same way she looks at Naruto. Like she'd hug me if I didn't bug the crap out of her."

"Sasuke-kun…"

"She's my teammate. She's always cared about us, about me. I can't say I was good to her though…I've definitely had my asshole moments. But this is my chance to do something nice for her," the Uchiha said fiercely, "And I'm taking it. What about you Lee? Are you going to take _**your**_ chance?"

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Do it.

No.

Do it!

No…

DO IT.

He sighed. "Sakura-san…" she turned around. Everything he'd meant to say flew out of his head, everything. Was this just another failure…?

Gai-sensei's voice boomed in his head the day he'd declared he'd learn the Lotus in a month. It was the only time his sensei had been actually annoyed with him. "Lee! Do not tell me that you can do it…show me that you can do it! Show me that you can open the First Gate! Show, don't tell!"

He'd show how much he loved her. Maybe then he'd find the courage to tell her.

He pulled her into a tight embrace, and the wind on the hospital roof whipped into a frenzy, throwing her hair into his face and in his mouth. Ahhhh, she smelled like cherry blossoms! She was so soft, so malleable in his arms!

And she wasn't resisting…

"Sakura-san!" he yelled for the world to hear, "I like you very, very much! I have liked you since the moment we met! I will protect to you to the death! Please go out with me!"

"Lee," she said in a muffled voice, "I can't breathe…"

He let her go, and waited.

"It's about time," Kakashi sighed as he and Gai watched the pink haired kunoichi jump the boy in green.

"Our students are all grown up," Gai sniffed proudly, "My eternal rival, come join me in a youthful embrace!"

"Gai?"

"Yes, eternal rival?"

"Let go of me, or I'll raikiri you into the next century."

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Whoop, whoop for Lee/Saku!

YAYYY!


End file.
